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Teaches listening to body signals that tell you when you're hungry or full (satiety). Describes hunger signals. Covers steps to get back in touch with your hunger signals so that you don't reach for food when you're not hungry. Covers keeping food journal.

Healthy Eating: Recognizing Your Hunger Signals

Introduction

One reason that many of us are not at a healthy weight is because,
somewhere along the line, we stopped listening to our body signals that
naturally tell us when we're hungry and when we're full.

The
signals are still there, but we're out of practice when it comes to paying
attention to them.

Learning to recognize those signals again can
help you get to a healthy weight and stay there.

How can you get back in touch with your hunger signals?

Figure out where you are now

First,
find out what signals you are following. Keep a
food journal for 2 weeks, or longer if you need to.
Write down not only when and what you eat but also what you were doing and
feeling before you started eating. Using the hunger scale below, write down
where you were on the scale before you ate and where you were
afterwards.

When you look back at your food journal, you may see
some eating patterns. For example, you may find that you almost always eat
dinner in front of the TV. You may find that you always eat an evening snack,
even when you're not hungry. You may find that you often snack when you "feel"
like you want to eat (because of boredom, stress, or some other emotion), but
you're not truly hungry.

Use a hunger scale

A hunger scale can help you learn how to tell the
difference between true, physical hunger and hunger that's really just in your
head. Psychological hunger is a desire to eat that is caused by emotions,
like stress, boredom, sadness, or happiness.

When you feel hungry
even though you recently ate, check to see if what you're feeling is really a
craving brought on by something psychological.

When you start
feeling like you want something to eat, rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10,
with 1 being starving and 10 being so full you feel sick. A rating of 5 or 6
means you're comfortable—neither too hungry nor too full.

1—Starving, weak, dizzy

2—Very
hungry, cranky, low energy, lots of stomach growling

3—Pretty
hungry, stomach is growling a little

4—Starting to feel a little
hungry

5—Satisfied, neither hungry nor full

6—A little
full, pleasantly full

7—A little
uncomfortable

8—Feeling stuffed

9—Very uncomfortable,
stomach hurts

10—So full you feel sick

To eat naturally, the way a baby does, eat when your hunger
is at 3 or 4. Don't wait until your hunger gets down to 1 or 2. Getting too
hungry can lead to overeating. When you sit down to a scheduled meal, stop and
think how hungry you are. If you feel less hungry than usual, make a conscious
effort to eat less food than usual. Stop eating when you reach 5 or 6 on the
scale.

When it's time to eat, make healthy choices

For your body to be truly satisfied, your meals
need to be balanced. This means that each meal should contain:

Carbohydrate. You get
this from grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Protein. You get this from meat, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt,
cheese, dry beans, and nuts.

Fat. You get
the kinds of fat that help you stay healthy from:

Fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds and flaxseed
oil. These have omega-3 fatty acids.

Olive, canola, and peanut
oils; most nuts; avocados; and olives. These have monounsaturated
fats.

Your meals should contain tastes that you like and want.
This also helps you feel satisfied.

Learn when to stop eating

Try to stop eating before you get too full. Too
full is uncomfortable. It means you ate too much.

Get in touch
with what "satisfied," or "pleasantly full," feels like for you.

Relax before you start eating, and then eat
slowly. Remember it takes time for your stomach to tell your
brain that you're full.

Stop a quarter of the way through your
meal, and check your hunger level. If you're still hungry, keep eating, but
stop again at the halfway point. No matter what your parents taught you, you
don't have to clean your plate.

Learn what
proper portions are. We're used to restaurant portions, but restaurant portions
usually contain much more food than we need.

Don't deny yourself

Your appetite, which can include a desire for sweets or other
less-than-healthy treats, is a strong body signal. And part of keeping your
body at that "satisfied" level on the hunger scale is eating tastes that you
like and want.

If we try to have an eating plan that cuts out all
treats, we probably won't stay with that plan. In fact, we're more likely to eat too much of those foods.

But it's
important to recognize when it's your appetite talking instead of your true
hunger. Knowing which body signal is talking can help you control what you are
eating.

If you're eating healthy and listening to your body
signals, a piece of birthday cake or an occasional order of french fries can
fit into your healthy eating plan. When the holidays come around, it's okay to
eat the traditional foods you love. Just keep listening to your body signals
and eat only enough to reach that "satisfied" level.

A few more tips

Try not to let your hunger drop to a 1 or 2 on
the hunger scale. When you get that hungry, you're likely to eat faster, make
poorer food choices, and keep eating past the "satisfied" point.

On
the other hand, let yourself feel some hunger between
meals. Mild hunger is a good thing. After all, it's a sign that you're not
overeating. Teach yourself to appreciate hunger pangs as a natural part of
life, as a sign that you're a healthy eater.

Don't eat more now
because you think you might not have time to eat later. Eat what your body
needs now, and worry about later, later.

Some people find that it's
easier to schedule lots of small meals throughout the day. Other people do
better with "three square meals." Whichever you choose, try to eat on a regular
schedule every day, according to how hungry you usually get. Eating regular
meals can help you be more aware of hunger and fullness.

Take
smaller servings. Save leftovers for another meal. Share plates with someone.

When you eat, make your food the main attraction. Sit down
at the table with your family. Don't eat in front of the TV. Don't read while
you eat. Give your attention to what you are putting in your mouth, how it
tastes, and how your body reacts to what and how much you're eating.

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